Nothing in the Desert
A stone obelisk stood by itself on S2 between the Yuha Desert and the Anza Borrego Desert in California. The plaque had been stolen. I had been doing a lot of hiking in that area and noticed that there were two kinds of travelers (alright maybe more). The ones that kept looking out the window, maps aflutter, hoping to find a town with a gift shop because clearly there was nothing else to see at that moment. Or, the ones that brought heavy 'toys' and drive over everything. They aren't hurting anything, because there was nothing out here in the desert.
I decided to make a new plaque that was of plaster, rendering it undesirable for stealing. Plainly it said
"This is the desert. Theres nothing out here. Nothing.
N. Karavasiles"
It became a hit, surprisingly. This unsanctioned piece was sited in Diana Lindsay's book 'Anza Borrego A to Z' https://sunbeltpublications.com/, it was a place where geologists met, and for some time now the area is surrounded by an INS station.
I feel like a celebrity when I go through the check point.
After a time the plaster cracked and bits were taken. Friends called me with the please fix it comment. The next one said the same thing but was made of cement. At that point there was more than nothing in the area. A large, perhaps now called ICE portable building with all kinds of support like trailers and portapotties, were almost eclipsing the obelisk. I had on my construction vest and tried to be as official looking as possible, while having both of my parents (with Alzheimer's) and two kids I was watching for the day for a friend. Its just that one of they threw up most of the windy road down to the desert. Yet, I approached with an air of authority. They were okay with the maintenance. The new one was glued in place and it was time for a picnic.
